Monday, November 18, 2013

Kansas City: Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio

A couple of weekends ago me
and Jesse took a bike ride to enjoy the beautiful fall day. We decided to
venture to an undiscovered (to us) area not far from where we live, and landed
in the gorgeous Roanoke neighborhood. I love neighborhoods in the city. The
beautiful old homes with big trees on quite streets, with the benefits of
living in the city and enjoying all it has to offer (and walking/biking
distance to those things)!

As we were biking along we
ended up at the home of Thomas Hart Benton. We didn’t know who he was, but it
was a State Historic Site, and a beautiful house and I wanted to go inside. We
got there right as a tour was beginning, learned who this guy was (a painter,
born in Missouri and who spent the last 30 some years of his life in KC) and
toured his studio and the inside of his home. And oh my goodness, it was a
gorgeous house! The master bedroom was the best room of the house. A little
area off the main part of the master had the cutest window seat and was his
wife’s sewing room. Yes, that would be the perfect crafting shell for me – I
could spend all day there! It even had doors that opened to a little covered
porch – so perfect:)

We have talked about visiting the Missouri state capital in
Jefferson City, and now we have more of a reason to go - one of Mr. Benton’s
largest murals is in the capital building. Another one not too far away is in
Independence, at the Harry S. Truman Library. Definitely have to check this
man’s artwork out!